Cigar Aficionado..........opinion
- Thread starter benpcb
- Start date
That's pretty much the story.
No printed media is going to be critical of their advertisers.
Right....
The gun magazines are the same way. If you want a little less advertising getting in the way look at Cigar Press. Not as much fluff but good reviews.
The gun magazines are terrible. Remember all the hype around the Remington R51?? Glowing reviews, revolutionary, etc. Turned out to be a complete dog. Remington barely acknowledges that it exists. Haha. Cigar mags are the same, but they can still be fun to read. Just need to take the ratings with a pound or two of salt.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Nailed it....CA is a decent enough cigar magazines but they do cater to their advertisers and will give them more points when they give out ratings. I read CA for just entertainment and not for any guidelines as far as what I smoke as I trust my own palate and not what somebody or magazine tells me to smoke. I like reading the interviews and what is going on in the Cigar World but as far as anything else....it's like reading the comics.
I subscribe to CA because I enjoy reading it but I really wonder..are there really that many people buying $5000 watches and $3500 bottles of whisky? lol
I subscribe to CA because it's free. Same problems in skiing, climbing and outdoor magazines.
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/68543-Free-Cigar-Aficionado-subscription-for-one-year
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/68543-Free-Cigar-Aficionado-subscription-for-one-year
ChefBoyRG54
BoM Sept '14 & BoY 2014
Hence the beauty of having a community like this give honest opinions of sticks as opposed to inflated scores to help guide others. Not to mention free samples from time to time
c.ortiz108
The fly in the ointment.
I barely even consider cigar AFICIONADO a cigar mag at all. It's more like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, with about 12 pages of cigar content per issue. I wouldn't even sign up for the free sub again. It would not surprise me at all if all their reviews were advertizing-biased.
Biased a bit, maybe. But certainly not handing out a 93 rating to an advertiser's 77-rated cigar!
And high ratings to CC's aren't easily explained by catering to big advertising dollar budgets.
Those who believe the ratings are rigged are free to ignore them and CA in general. Or take
them with a "pound of salt," unless, of course CA's evaluation happens to coincide with mine,
in which case the reviewer is truly brilliant.
Can BOTL be considered unbiased when we accept financial support from industry suppliers??
I like to think so!
And high ratings to CC's aren't easily explained by catering to big advertising dollar budgets.
Those who believe the ratings are rigged are free to ignore them and CA in general. Or take
them with a "pound of salt," unless, of course CA's evaluation happens to coincide with mine,
in which case the reviewer is truly brilliant.
Can BOTL be considered unbiased when we accept financial support from industry suppliers??
I like to think so!
The ratings are complete garbage. Even their methodology is crap. It's supposed to be "blind," but if the editor knows which cigars are being scored, and can throw out scores or order a cigar to be re-scored.
Even within their system there is a LOT of room for manipulation.
Even within their system there is a LOT of room for manipulation.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
I have a garage full of liquor they suggest and a dedicated watch drawer with nothing but CA advertised timepieces.....if I could just fit a Rolls Royce into my 10 car garage now.
c.ortiz108
The fly in the ointment.
Unless they have international distribution?
R/C action was always bad with ad stuff. It's been years since I've looked at R/C mags but R/C driver back in the day did okay with that kind of stuff. Still made bathroom time go by I just picked what I like to drive just as I pick what I like to smoke.
I started reading CA back in the mid nineties when it started out. It was pretty good. I picked up again in the early 2000s and got tired of reading about Marvin's golf game. Seems like him and Ernie Els were in every issue. I get that it is a good way to write off your golf trips but i could care less.
There is a digital cigar mag on the iPad, Le. Amateure (something like that) Pete Johnson was on the cover of the first issue. Being published in France they cover a lot of Cuban cigar news but overall it was good. Some good interviews with cigar guys.
There is a digital cigar mag on the iPad, Le. Amateure (something like that) Pete Johnson was on the cover of the first issue. Being published in France they cover a lot of Cuban cigar news but overall it was good. Some good interviews with cigar guys.
